Mode-locking using right-angle waveguide, based nanotube saturable absorber

We report passive mode-locking of an Er-doped fiber laser using carbon nanotubes deposited on the facet of a right-angle optical waveguide. © 2013 IEEE.

High-power ultrafast solid-state laser using graphene based saturable absorber

We demonstrate a graphene based saturable absorber mode-locked Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser, generating ~14nJ pulses with ~1W average output power. This shows the potential for high-power pulse generation. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

High-power ultrafast solid-state laser using graphene based saturable absorber

We demonstrate a graphene based saturable absorber mode-locked Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser, generating ~14nJ pulses with ~1W average output power. This shows the potential for high-power pulse generation. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Noise and stability in giant-chirp oscillators mode-locked with a nanotube-based saturable absorber

We compare experimental results showing stable dissipative-soliton solutions exist in mode-locked lasers with ultra-large normal dispersion (as large as 21.5 ps2), with both the analytic framework provided by Haus' master-equation and full numerical simulations. © 2010 Optical Society of America.

Bismuth-doped fiber integrated ring laser mode-locked with a nanotube-based saturable absorber

We demonstrate passive mode-locking of a bismuth-doped fiber laser using a single-wall nanotube-based saturable absorber. Stable operation in the all-normal dispersion and average soliton regime is obtained, with an all-fiber integrated format. © 2010 Optical Society of America.

High-power ultrafast solid-state laser using graphene based saturable absorber

We demonstrate a graphene based saturable absorber mode-locked Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser, generating ~14nJ pulses with ~1W average output power. This shows the potential for high-power pulse generation. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Digital data transmission using electro-optically modulated vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with saturable absorber

An electro-optically (EO) modulated oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) containing a saturable absorber in the VCSEL cavity is studied. The device contains an EO modulator section that is resonant with the VCSEL cavity. A type-II EO superlattice medium is employed in the modulator section and shown to result in a strong negative EO effect in weak electric fields. Applying the reverse bias voltages to the EO section allows triggering of short pulses in the device. Digital data transmission (return-to-zero pseudo-random bit sequence, 27-1) at 10Gb/s at bit-error-rates well below 10-9 is demonstrated. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Widely tunable picosecond fiber ring laser mode-locked by a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT)-polycarbonate composite film saturable absorber

A widely tunable fiber ring laser, utilising a SWNT/polycarbonate film mode-locker and a 3-nm tunable filter, has been realized. 2.3ps pulse generation over 27nm spectral range is achieved for a constant pump power of 25mW. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

Widely tunable picosecond fiber ring laser mode-locked by a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT)-polycarbonate composite film saturable absorber

A widely tunable fiber ring laser, utilising a SWNT/polycarbonate film mode-locker and a 3-nm tunable filter, has been realized. 2.3ps pulse generation over 27nm spectral range is achieved for a constant pump power of 25mW. © 2008 Optical Society of America.

Passively modelocked VECSEL using a single-layer graphene saturable absorber mirror

Optically pumped ultrafast vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs), also referred to as semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs), are very attractive sources for ps- and fs-pulses in the near infrared [1]. So far VECSELs have been passively modelocked with semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs, [2]). Graphene has emerged as a promising saturable absorber (SA) for a variety of applications [3-5], since it offers an almost unlimited bandwidth and a fast recovery time [3-5]. A number of different laser types and gain materials have been modelocked with graphene SAs [3-4], including fiber [5] and solid-state bulk lasers [6-7]. Ultrafast VECSELs are based on a high-Q cavity, which requires very low-loss SAs compared to other lasers (e.g., fiber lasers). Here we develop a single-layer graphene saturable absorber mirror (GSAM) and use it to passively modelock a VECSEL. © 2013 IEEE.

1.5 GHz picosecond pulse generation from a monolithic waveguide laser with a graphene-film saturable output coupler

We fabricate a saturable absorber mirror by coating a graphenefilm on an output coupler mirror. This is then used to obtain Q-switched mode-locking from a diode-pumped linear cavity channel waveguide laser inscribed in Ytterbium-doped Bismuthate Glass. The laser produces 1.06 ps pulses at ∼1039 nm, with a 1.5 GHz repetition rate, 48% slope efficiency and 202 mW average output power. This performance is due to the combination of the graphene saturable absorber and the high quality optical waveguides in the laser glass. © 2013 Optical Society of America.

Graphene saturable absorbers for VECSELs

We report mode-locking of an optically pumped VECSEL using a graphene-based saturable absorber mirror (GSAM). Self-starting and stable modelocked operation is demonstrated with 473 fs pulses at 1.5 GHz repetition rate and 949 nm center wavelength. Wavelength tuning is achieved over a 46 nm bandwidth. We discuss the mirror design, the fabrication of the GSAMs, and give an outlook on further optimization of the design, including dielectric top coatings to protect the graphene and to increase the flexibility in the design. © 2014 SPIE.